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Nils Steyaert
' Nils Steyaert '''was one of a number of western born warlords who were prolific in eastern Europe in the chaotic years after the '91 Disaster. Early Life Steyaert was born in Belgium in the early 1970s. He had a relatively comfortable upbringing although as he reached his teens in the mid 1980s he began to fall in with less than reputable people. In 1987 he was inducted into the Europa League criminal organization which at that time was growing in strength. Steyaert was primarily involved in trafficking weapons, drugs and people across western Europe. After the '91 Disaster Like most non-military personnel in Europe Steyaert spent the '91 war in makeshift shelters waiting for the ceasefire to be declared. In the aftermath that followed the Europa League was quick to capitalize on the chaos especially in the areas of the former Warsaw Pact countries where few governments remained and those that did were hardly effective. Steyaert was involved initially in the trafficking of guns into what was left of Poland (a highly dangerous undertaking considering the high levels of nuclear contamination in Germany and the harsh penalty if discovered). Here the Europa League were recruiting locals who formed protection rackets over the local population. Since money was of little value in the immediate Post-91 world the protection was paid for in food, goods and often women. Rise to Power Steyaert took notice of what was happening in Poland. He also noticed how over extended the Europa League were becoming in Poland it being so far away from the organization's main power base in the west. As he spent much time on the road taking arms to Poland and returning with the 'trade' he began to plan against the Europa League with the intention of taking over the rackets they had established. He knew the key to his ambitions were to recruit the same locals the Europa League were using. To that end he carefully picked the ones he believed were the most easily swayed by the promise of the spoils of their organization. Between December 1991 and March 1992 he had recruited up to eighty such individuals who were ready to act when he called for them. On March 23rd 1992 he prepared to take another truckload of supplies to Poland knowing he would not be returning. Upon arriving in Poland he met with his followers and they began eliminating those in the Europa League they suspected they could not trust. Most of those eliminated came from western Europe as these were the ones who were more likely to remain loyal to the old order. Asserting Authority Steyaert was quick to assert his authority over what he now considered ''his territory and jokingly referred to it as "Steyaertland" which encompassed some three hundred and fifty thousand people in total. He toured his little kingdom with his heavily armed entourage and routinely killed random people to demonstrate his authority. The helpless people had no choice but to submit to Steyaert's rule knowing full well that if he fell from power they would almost certainly be punished by the Europa League for following him. Fear of Murder or Betrayal Steyaert never stayed in the same place for long. He knew the Europa League would have dispatched assassins to kill him and he tried to be as unpredictable as possible. Soon however he began to look at those who had helped him rise to power as untrustworthy after all he bought their loyalty so if someone rwealthier came along they could buy their loyalty also. He began to split them up and told each group that the others were planning to kill them. Filled with mistrust they began to turn on each other as Steyaert enlisted new help and then finally murdered the surviving members of those who helped him to power in the first place. Life Under Steyaert's Rule The world after 1991 was a miserable place anyway but under Steyaert's rule the Polish people in his land suffered particularly badly. Many of the men were forced to join his growing number of armed gangs to at first defend Steyaert's territory from bandits and other warlords and then to cease more goods and supplies from territory outside of Steyaert's reach. They had to do this knowing that Steyaert and his closest supporters could do what they wished to their families who remained at home and for the women that often meant trading sexual favors for protection and food. Fall From Power Like so many warlords of the era Steyaert's rule was short lived. The Europa League made three unsuccessful attempts on his life during 1992 and these drove Steyaert deeper underground. He began suspecting more and more of his closest friends of betrayal and one by one killed them until finally, perhaps fearing for their own lives, his supporters turned on him. Body Discovery Steyaert's body was discovered in a mass grave at the very heart of ''his ''territory in 1999. The mass grave was filled with not only his own victims but the victims of those who betrayed him. Category:Heroes & Villains